We are open, but officially closed

Diwali is by all means a bonanza festival, especially for Civil Servants of India. Everybody who deals with the government waits for the festive season to meet and greet Civil Servants. Civil Servants also anxiously await the auspicious day to celebrate with those who can’t meet them in their official capacity. Even after Narendra Modi’s taking over as Prime Minister nothing much has changed in the foothills of Raisina. There are many officers who have evolved a mechanism to deal with the palm greaser on Diwali; they have started locking the main gate of their home on the day and the sentry has been informed to brief that ‘sahib is out of town’. Sentry is not authorised to accept flowers and any gifts. The CCTV surveillance in the residence area has created a problem, but the greeters now don’t come in their Mercs; Ola and Uber cabs have helped them to reach the destination without disclosing their identity. This Diwali, one observed another peculiar situation. Senior Civil Servants, who are serving on coveted posts in the Central Government and State governments, evolved a new way to deal with the guests. They informed their sentry to greet the guest and brief them that sahib is clearing important files, or sleeping, or sitting with some very close family friends. The sentry is also told to brief the guest that if he had come with Diwali gifts, he may leave them and they will definitely reach the sahib. As reported to gfiles, some businessmen who personally went to meet the officers avoided handing over the gifts, but those who sent their senior assistants were happy to deliver the gift to the sentry without troubling the sahib.